Between Black and Grey
by asianpearl
Summary: Set 3 years after series. The darkness is looming as a new threat lingers in the air. Will old feelings arise? Will anything be the same? When push has finally come to shove. Act 2 : Renovatio
1. Act 1 :The Meeting

Chapter 1 : The Meeting

Standard disclaimers apply.

The dark haired vampire walked into the dilapidated tavern, crinkling his nose in distaste. The watering hole was nearly deserted save for the few drunkards who were slumped on the bar and the surly old man who stood behind the bar, wiping a glass. Upon hearing the tavern door snap shut, the barman glared sourly at the newcomer. However, the vampire wasn't here to drown himself in alcohol. He was here on business.

It was nearly midnight and the weather outside could not be more ominous. Rainclouds rolled endlessly through the sky, blocking any and all of the celestial light. It also the time of year when it rained most frequently in these parts. The vampire thanked his lucky stars, for he needed seclusion to complete his mission. It also helped that his "accomplice" had chosen an out of the way pub to conduct their business. No, it would not help if the_ others_ saw him in the company of this man. Not at all.

Seclusion. That was probably why _that man_ chose this place as his hideout.

The vampire crossed the threshold of the pub and walked to the cluster of high backed chairs around the small fireplace. The pub was one of those rustic wooden-walled places which had the heads of animals mounted on the walls. The vampire had no doubt that if the place had been in better hands, it would have flourished. As he walked, his feet made little sound on the old wooden floorboards. He knew it was pointless trying to be stealthy in this situation, since the person he was meeting had the senses of a bat. Literally.

The vampire halted as he neared the only occupied chair. Its occupant visibly tensed.

'I know its been three years and we haven't exactly been on the best of terms.. But I would think that you would at least greet an old friend. Kiryuu Zero,'

The man in the chair stood up and faced the new arrival. His eyes narrowed in hatred as he spat out his words.

"I would hardly call us _friends_ Kuran,"

"The last time we met, you tried to kill me,"

Kaname's lips tugged in a grim smile.

"Believe me, I still would. If I had the chance, I would finish you off right here,"

Zero rounded the chair to stand in front of the vampire, the Bloody Rose drawn and pointed at the latter's head. The vampire didn't flinch.

"Sorry to disappoint you Kiryuu, but I'm not here to pick a fight. We agreed to talk,"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot your brains out,"

"Yuuki" he whispered.

A/N : Sorry this is so short but this is just a small preview to this fic. Tell me what you think. The next chapter will be up soon.


	2. Act 1 : The Request

"_Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot your brains out,"_

"_Yuuki" he whispered._

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………_._

Chapter 2 : The Request

Standard disclaimers apply.

Zero's eyes widened. Not because of the name Kaname uttered, but the way in which the vampire had said it. So full of remorse, sadness and possibly.. fear? To Zero, the heir of the Kuran clan was many things. Mosnster? Yes. Manipulator? Yes. Tyrant? Maybe. But never before had he heard such emotion from the man.

"I'd rather we continue this little conversation somewhere more private," continued the dark haired vampire.

Seconds passed and finally, Zero lowered his gun and motioned to a door by the fireplace.

"In there,"

Kaname's grim smile was back in place as he made his way to the room, followed by Zero. He was pleased that Zero complied to his request without much incident. He had hoped mentioning Yuuki would catch Zero's attention. He was right.

The side room was no more comfier than the main area. The small rectangular room littered with random and mismatched pieces of furniture was lit only by a single hanging lamp. The other had long since died. As Zero entered, he noticed the other vampire had seated himself on a chair furthest from the door. Partially hidden in darkness, the man looked more menacing than ever. It didn't matter. They were not here for a tea party anyway. Zero shut the door and leaned against it.

"You were saying?"

Kaname crossed his legs and threaded his long fingers on his lap.

"I need your assistance,"

Zero almost snorted. When had the world turned upside down? Was Kaname Kuran actually _asking_ for his help?

"I have many enemies. Both human and vampire alike. Those who oppose what I.. all.. of us have been trying to fulfill.."

"You have no right to taint Chairman Cross' noble intentions with your own twisted desires Kuran," hissed Zero.

"All this while, you have been using his aspirations, his dreams, to complete your own agendas. And it is because of you he is dead!"

Kaname chose to ignore Zero's interruption.

"I will be leaving the country soon. It is me those vampire aristocrats want dead. There is no reason for others to die in the name of my battle,"

"Well, that didn't stop you back then now did it? We were all your chess pieces weren't we? Me, Aido, Kain, even Yuu-"

"Things are different now!"

Kaname had raised his voice. His fists were balled on his lap.

"You are testing my patience Kiryuu. Let me finish so that I can leave you in one piece,"

"As I was saying, I will be going with a handful of my followers. We will take our battle to Transylvania. To our place of origin. To end this."

"Kiryuu, I want you to see to Yuuki's safety while I'm gone."

"What?"

"I let you live for a reason you fool. I created you, the perfect Knight, only to serve us. Isn't Yuuki the reason for your pathetic life?"

"So what?" barked Zero "I would end her life the moment I see her. Why don't you get one of your lapdogs to guard her instead? Or better yet, bring her with you. I'm sure she would want that,"

"You say that. But in reality, the chains of love that bind your heart to her are unbreakable. Your passion and devotion to her burn as strongly as they did when you first loved her,"

Kaname smirked at Zero's silence.

"Here's a lesson about being a vampire. Unless you have already figured it out, when a human is turned into one of us, he is befallen with the curse of immortality. His heart turns to stone. He is unable to flee from fleeting human emotion. Hardly does a level E or even a level D live long enough to fall in love. But when it does happen, as with all vampires, the love is eternal,"

"For some, like Hiou Shizuka and Kuran Rido, it was a curse. They could not let go of their long deceased first loves. And that drove them to insanity. For _you _it is a liability. One which I intend to make use of,"

Zero straightened up and braced himself.

"What makes you think I would just agree to your bidding? Even if I'm still in love with her,"

He paused for a breath.

"You must be a desperate man Kaname Kuran. To allow me to be near your beloved Yuuki,"

"I had no choice," Kaname replied off-handedly "Where else would I find such a unique compilation of blood powers? And besides, as I said, your will to protect her will most certainly make up for your lack of common sense,"

"Meaning?" demanded Zero.

Kaname looked at Zero as if he had grown an extra head.

"This should be like and opportunity of a lifetime for you. I am willingly leaving the thing you desire most in your care. Allowing you to touch, feel and protect the one thing that has been keeping you sane, or for lack of a better word…human. Its almost like giving a starved man the key to his own personal food court. Need I say more? It would certainly be a change of pace for you wouldn't it? Your life is a meaningless game of hide and seek. Hunting vampires and being hunted by them to."

There was a dangerous glow in Zero's eyes. How dare he? Did Kuran think that Zero's feelings for Yuuki were based on mere hunger for her blood? It was far too idyllic. What Kaname was proposing would never have occurred under normal circumstances unless…

Only now did Zero see it.. the crack like veins which spread like a vines on the side of Kaname's neck. They were not there when the man had walked into the tavern, that was for sure. But they were apparent now. The veins pulsed red with the flow of blood underneath it. The skin around the affected area looked darker.. almost as if it was decaying.

It was something he had seen in some of the vampires he had mercilessly killed. The disease that slowly consumed a vampire who was poisoned. Placing him in hours of agony and leaving the victim begging for death. In reality, it was the rapid crystallization of a vampire's blood caused by the introduction of a contaminant. An infected blood source perhaps? To the many, it was called the Thorn.

Never in his dreams did he imagine that vampires could be involved in biological warfare. But this? The heir of Kuran being infected? Maybe there was a greater threat. If so, then he, Yuuki, every vampire in existence was at risk.

"You're dying," he stated

Kaname's eyes narrowed.

"So then you must understand the urgency of my actions. This war must end before another generation of children, both vampire and human suffer from it,"

"Fine. I'll do it. But its not for you or Yuuki. It is to end this. All of this."

Kaname smiled. Satisfied with himself. He stood up and walked past Zero into the main area.

"And by the way, if I were you, I wouldn't try anything with Yuuki when I'm gone. Stress would not be good for her. Not in her current state."

Zero turned around to look at Kaname's retreating back. State? What State?

"Yuuki's pregnant. She's carrying my child,"

A/N : Read and review please! Hehe… more reviews will make me update faster!


	3. Act 1 :The Thorn

"_And by the way, if I were you, I wouldn't try anything with Yuuki when I'm gone. Stress would not be good for her. Not in her current state."_

_Zero turned around to look at Kaname's retreating back. State? What State?_

"_Yuuki's pregnant. She's carrying my child,"_

Chapter 3 : The Thorn

Standard disclaimers apply

Zero trained his empty gaze on the brown liquid swirling inside his glass. The alcohol did nothing to soothe his worries. If anything, mulling about the subject only made him want to tear something apart. Preferably Kaname Kuran.

So what? She chose to get pregnant didn't she? She chose to be with her _oni-sama_ right? Who was he to complain? She was happy. Right?

Zero had long accepted the fact that he was hopelessly in love with Yuuki Kuran. She was like a drug to him. The addiction was killing him little by little. And the more he tried to stay away, the more he was hurt. And now? Fate decided to screw with him yet again by shoving her into his life.

And yet, a small part in fact, a large part of him still hoped that someday, he could have the life he always wanted with Yuuki. He wished every day that someday, he could take her away from this life that neither of them wanted to lead. He would give her everything she could wish for. He would keep her safe from the world. He would even lay down his life for her.

However, life was no fairy tale. And this time, the _Knight_ in shining armor did not release the princess from her locked tower. There was no riding off into the sunset and no happy ending.

There was a knock on the tavern door.

_Yet. _Whispered Zero.

He turned around to see a woman walk into the tavern. She looked no older than he was. At first glance, she looked like a model who just walked off the runways of Milan, with her high-heeled boots, designer jeans and cashmere top. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail. Only when she faced him and met her pale eyes with his did he recognize Ruka Souen from the night class.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Kiryuu Zero," she said evenly, crossing her arms

Zero shrugged.

"I've just never seen you without your night class uniform,"

"That's nice, but unfortunately, I don't have the time to chat. We need to depart now. You are expected at the Kuran mansion soon,"

"So soon?"

She frowned.

"You seem to underestimate the situation. Do you need to be reminded of what little time we have left?"

Zero studied the flaxen haired vampire. Although it was not visible on her face, she looked tired and worn out. Her voice also had a tinge of annoyance to it, as if she detested the very situation she was in.

"Fine. Let's go."

He grabbed his coat and followed Ruka out of the tavern. The sudden exposure to sunlight made him shield his eyes. As he came to, he saw a car waiting in front of the tavern. A man who was presumably the driver opened the door and waited.

"Were you expecting to fly there like a bat?" asked Ruka as she got into the car gracefully.

Zero entered after her and then the engine purred to life. They were soon driving southwards, along the coastline.

"Don't vampires usually live high up on some snowy mountain somewhere?" he asked.

"You've been watching too many of those cheesy human movies," she replied nonchalantly.

"The mansion is by the seaside. About an hour's drive from here. Yuuki-sama preferred it that way,"

"She always did love the ocean," murmured Zero as he stared out of the window.

Ruka observes the man sitting across from her. He seemed to be trapped in a daze. Was he reliving his old memories? Although she had never spoken to Zero personally, she had heard much about this renegade hunter.

Three years ago, at the beginning of the war, he isolated himself from both the vampire council and the hunter association. From what she heard, he had become a bounty hunter of sorts, eliminating the "undesirable few" who sought to tip the balance between humans and vampires regardless if they were mortal or not. He was not really an immediate threat to any of the battling sides. However, in a world where so few could be trusted, Ruka supposed that Kaname's and Yuuki's relationship with this man was more of a blessing than a curse.

In her eyes, this man kept the peace -or what remained of it- between the day and night dwellers. He held on tightly to his late adopted father's vision. She had also seen the terrible and frightening things that he could do with his powers. It was a small wonder that he hadn't chosen a side yet.

"Why don't you do it?" she asked

"Do what?" he replied, not taking his eyes from the window.

"Kill all the pure-bloods. Just like you said would,"

He did not answer immediately instead he turned his eyes to hers. She suddenly felt intimidated under that piercing gaze of his.

"You would do anything for them wouldn't you? The Kuran siblings?"

She was stunned by his question.

"Of course! But I don't see what-"

"Then you should realize that if I went around shooting pure-bloods I would make you, Aido, Kain and about a million other vampires really pissed off," he said while ticking his fingers off.

She grunted in frustration. He was not taking her seriously. If any of the others had tried to be funny with her, she would have snapped at them. However, she just took a deep breath and said.

"Look, before we get to the mansion, there are a few things you should know,"

He raised his eyebrows at her, signaling her to continue.

"By human standards, Yuuki should be about eight months pregnant. Although we estimate the time of conception should have been-"

"Do I need to know that?" his voice had darkened considerably.

"What you need to know is that she became pregnant before Kaname-sama contacted the thorn. That means, the baby is safe,"

"Good," he said.

"Her situation has become very delicate for the past few weeks. Although she doesn't show it, she gets tired easily, as if the child is draining the strength from her. I can tell you that pregnancy even for a normal vampire isn't easy. The fact that Yuuki is a pureblood makes it even harder. If her body isn't strong enough, she might even die during childbirth,"

Zero's eyes widened. Ruka didn't seem to notice this as she continued.

"That's why we have to watch out for her every moment of the day. I'm sure you've heard of women miscarrying their unborn children just by slipping on a puddle of water. Yuuki has to deal with constant attacks by people who want her dead. And we've had several incidents these past few years,"

"Like what?"

"Attacks by the vampire council and the hunters association, poisoned wine, exploding birthday cakes, you name it, we've dealt with it. And now with the Thorn, things are getting worse for wear,"

"Then why the hell bring a child into the world now when things are in chaos? Why even expose Yuuki to the vampire world when you know there are going to be attempts on her life?"

"For once, Kiryuu, use your head. Kaname and Yuuki are the only remaining Kurans left. They are the sole survivors of an ancient clan, the originators of _us_ on this side of the world. What better way to eliminate them than the Thorn? A new age disease that spares not even the purest of pure bloods. Its almost poetic now that I think about it,"

"This child is the only way to save a bloodline that's thousands of years old" her voice had dropped a notch. "Now with Kaname-sama dying.."

She had trailed off and Zero decided not to pursue the matter. Was he concerned about vampire genealogy? Not at all. However, this woman's fear as well as her feelings about the vampire were very real.

"Maybe it was meant to happen," he said.

"What?" her eyes snapped up.

"This disease could be just evolution you know. Mother Earth's way of telling us that the world has no more need for vampires. Like the dinosaurs. Maybe the time has come for.. our kind,"

Ruka looked disbelievingly at him. Has this man no sense of self preservation? She knew he detested vampires, but you would this that a person needed to care for himself enough to defend his kind. But maybe, he didn't. Had he truly lost his _**reason to live?**_

"Another thing you should know about this disease. It's man made,"

Just then, the car jerked to a stop. Zero looked out of the window to see that they were parked at the entrance to a grand mansion. He had no doubts that they would be going to a place of epic proportions. But this?

The house was the only building for miles around. Around it was nothing but large expanses of green fields. To the north he could see the fringe of a thick forest and he could just make out the crashing of waves on the shore from where he stood. The building however had a Victorian feel to it. Ivy covered brick walls stood out against a lush garden. There was even a fountain sitting in one corner of the lawn.

"Not exactly vampire HQ isn't it?" he remarked.

"We couldn't really live in a cave could we?"

She narrowed her eyes

"Looks like we have a guest,"

Indeed, a slick black BMW seven series sat in the driveway.

"Perfect timing. I'll introduce you to the doctor straight away,"

"Doctor?"

But Ruka didn't reply, instead he followed her as she strode towards the massive double oak doors at the end of the driveway. The doors opened the instant she stepped towards it. And closed immediately when they both entered. Like a scene from a horror movie.

"This way," said Ruka as she disappeared along a hallway forking from the main area.

The house was dimly lit although he noted the two massive chandeliers in the entrance room. The walls were lined with paintings and sculptures. This was a grand house all right, but in Zero's mind, it wasn't a home.

When he finally caught up to Ruka, she had opened one of the doors and was waiting for Zero to go in. He had expected another set of hallways, but instead, he came face to face with the woman who had haunted his dreams for the past three years.

….

_Yuuki_

……….

She was dressed in a long white gown, very similar to the one she had worn to the inter-class ball all those years ago. At first she looked apprehensive, however, a soft smile soon graced her features and she embraced Zero warmly.

"I missed you," she said.

What was obvious to Zero was her protruding belly. He had never seen Yuuki so.. well… large. However, he doubted she would appreciate him telling her that.

"I'm back," he replied. Whispering the words to only her.

Just then, he felt a small thump at his abdomen. He immediately released Yuuki and looked down at her belly. She giggled lightly.

"And that's the little one saying hi,"

For some strange reason, he found it impossible to reply to that. He didn't have to. A small 'cough cough' could be heard from the corner of the room.

Zero looked up to see that Hanabusa Aido was sitting on the couch against the left wall. He was turned pointedly away from the scene and was fixated on the coffee table.

The only other occupant of the room, the one who had previously cleared his throat sat opposite Aido and was smiling at him. This must be the doctor. He certainly looked like one. Dressed in a completely white suit with a blue rose in his breast pocket, the blue-eyed blond man stood up and gave a slight bow.

"Zero-kun, this is Dr. Solomon Goldsmith," said Yuuki.

_Her voice hasn't changed_

"He's been taking care of me ever since.. you know.."

"And this must be the infamous Zero Kiryuu," said Solomon.

"I've heard so much about you and I must say I am very interested in your body,"

"Wh-What?" sputtered Zero

"Oh dear, that was the wrong choice of words wasn't it? What I meant was we in the medical business don't see your case every day. For an ex-human to accept the blood of three pure-bloods all at once. And it seems like your powers continue to develop even now am I right?,"

"I wasn't aware people were keeping tabs on me,"

Solomon smiled.

"My friend, you are a miracle of evolution itself. I dare go as far to say that you might even hold the key to curing the Thorn,"

"Lets not get our hopes up shall we?" voiced Aido from his sitting place.

"Yes. Yes. I suppose so," said Solomon.

"We should all sit down," said Yuuki "The doctor was just going to tell us what he has discovered,"

And they did just that. Yuuki sat down beside Aido on the couch, Ruka took the only single chair so Zero was left to sit beside the doctor.

"Now, as we all know, Yuuki and her child are perfectly safe from the Thorn,"

This news was treated with little surprise from the audience.

"We have found out that the Thorn spreads through fluid contact. Much like AIDS in the human world. Meaning to say that from now on, we'll have to watch what we eat.. haha..,"

The joke didn't have its desired affect. Everyone simply stared at the doctor.

"Hmm.. being grumpy patients are we? Well then, as I said, body fluids are the most likely vector of the disease. It spreads from one vampire to the other via things like blood. We've also been able to determine that the disease can spread through intimate contact. Though we're not exactly sure _how-"_

"Anything else doctor?" asked Aido. The man was obviously not keen to be stuck in this room much longer.

"The disease can be determined in a vampire's blood using this," he produced a bottle of dark red liquid from his pocket.

"More blood?" asked Ruka.

"This is the blood of a very special individual. It provides the only absolute method of determining if a person is infected or not. Since symptoms do not usually present themselves until its too late,"

"What are we supposed to do then? Drink it?" asked Aido

"No. No. this blood is far too precious to be wasted. Simply add a drop this blood into a sample of yours. You will witness a very marvelous reaction if you have been infected,"

"Marvelous?" Zero thought this doctor was too cheery for his own good.

"Of course. The blood will immediately crystallize and shatter into thousands of tiny fragments. I still wonder how that happens really. Must be something to do with the proteins.."

"But the Thorn is man made?," asked Yuuki.

"Yes. Unfortunately, it is. The thorn originated from a single strand of virus . This of course was at that time harmless. But then, it was genetically modified using the blood of a.. queen..,"

"What queen?" asked Aido

"My queen," he whispered mostly to himself. He looked like he was remembering something or.. someone..

This caused the other vampires to look among themselves, not knowing what he meant.

"Anyway," he said snapping back to the present "I think prevention is better than cure. Don't you?"

"So," he said as he uncorked the bottle with a flourish "Who's first?"

End of Act One

Author's Notes:

That's right! Solomon's here from Blood plus. Lol.. sorry if he seems a bit OC. Hmm.. even Zero's a bit OC in this chapter. I just wanted to portray how our favourite vampires have matured throughout the years. And an excellent way to show that would be to compare them to a happy go lucky doctor right? Haha..

Aido seems like he's mad about something. And then Zero still has to pick up the pieces with Yuuki. The good news is.. that the next chapter will have a small part on Kaname. We'll see what he's been up to in Transylvania. I'm planning to import more of our favorite silver screen vampires into my fic. What do you think? Should I make Kaname have a one on one duel with Edward? Or cross swords with that vamp. From Underworld?

Read and review ppl! Tell me what you'd like to see in this fic and I'll try to make it happen. But the most important of all.. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,

Asianpearl.


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